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Online Citizen
3 days ago
- Business
- Online Citizen
PAP's Goh Pei Ming tops spending so far as 35 candidates declare S$884,978 from 3 May General Election
SINGAPORE: A total of 35 candidates who contested the General Election on 3 May have declared their election expenses, with combined spending reaching S$884,978. These figures were made publicly available on the Elections Department's (ELD) website on 28 May. Under Singapore's election laws, candidates must declare their expenses and the nature of spending. This process aims to ensure transparency and accountability in campaign financing. Candidates have until 16 June to file their election returns. PAP's Marine Parade–Braddell Heights team spent S$388,756 in sole walkover victory Among those who have submitted so far, People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Goh Pei Ming topped the list with S$104,085 in declared spending. More than half of his expenditure went towards non-online election advertising, including printed materials and physical displays. Goh, a former chief of staff in the Singapore Armed Forces, was part of the PAP team in Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC. His team was the only one to win in a walkover on Nomination Day. Their collective campaign expenditure stood at S$388,756 — the highest recorded among the teams that have declared their finances so far. In total, the 35 candidates represented a range of parties, including the PAP, Progress Singapore Party (PSP), National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), Red Dot United (RDU), and Singapore People's Party (SPP). One candidate each from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), People's Power Party (PPP), and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) also submitted their expenses. Additionally, independent candidates Darryl Lo and Jeremy Tan have declared their financial statements. No candidates from the Workers' Party (WP) have submitted returns to date. This leaves 176 candidates either yet to file or whose submissions are pending announcement in the Government Gazette. According to the data released, the average expenditure per candidate came to S$25,285. However, spending varied significantly. While some candidates incurred no expenses, others spent over S$100,000. The PAP led the average spending per candidate at S$77,751. This was followed by the PSP with an average of S$32,303 and the NSP at S$24,378. At the lower end, RDU averaged S$1,297 per candidate, while PAR had the lowest average at S$898. Seven candidates report zero spending Seven candidates declared zero expenditure. These included Sharad Kumar, David Foo and Pang Heng Chuan from RDU; Alec Tok from SDP; Harminder Pal Singh from SDA; and Lim Rui Xian and Muhammad Norhakim from SPP. PPP's Samuel Lee reported S$100 in 'other expenses'. He announced via TikTok on 27 May that he had resigned from the party, effective 23 May, to pursue other opportunities. Among independent candidates, Jeremy Tan, who contested Mountbatten, spent S$16,075. His largest cost was for his solo rally at the Home of Athletics on 1 May. Darryl Lo, contesting Radin Mas, spent S$12,213, with most of it going towards printed materials and other non-digital promotional tools. The only other full team to have submitted expenses was NSP's Sembawang GRC team, which reported a total of S$121,888 in spending. In addition to spending, candidates are required to declare any donations received. Among the 35, only RDU's Ben Puah, who contested Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC, declared donations. He received S$280 from anonymous donors, via six PayNow transactions ranging from S$10 to S$100. Puah spent S$109 in total on his campaign. RDU's Kala Manickam submitted disputed claims Another RDU candidate, Kala Manickam, submitted disputed claims amounting to S$1,365. These included S$404 in food expenses for campaigners, S$66 for transport, and S$895 for printing extra campaign fliers. According to the ELD, such claims are filed when election agents dispute or fail to settle expense claims within the 28-day window. Kala, who contested in Jurong Central SMC during 3 May poll, told The Straits Times that her claims were not reimbursed by the party. She explained that she was advised to submit them as disputed. 'The party told me to raise petty cash to claim back my money, but when I submitted it after the election, they said the spending was not endorsed by the party,' she said. She added that the party also cited her lack of fundraising as a reason for the rejection of her reimbursement request. Kala said she would personally absorb the cost, stating her campaign was driven by a desire to serve Singapore. The ELD allows members of the public to view candidates' declared expenses by logging into its digital service with their Singpass credentials. Further updates are expected as the 16 June deadline approaches.
Business Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
First tranche of GE2025 candidate expenses published, with highest spending being over S$100,000
[SINGAPORE] A total of 35 candidates who contested the May 3 General Election have declared their election expenses so far, with their combined spending coming up to S$884,978. On May 28, their election returns were made available on the Elections Department's (ELD) website. Election candidates here are required under the law to declare how much they spent and what the money was used for, to ensure accountability and transparency of campaign finances. Candidates from the 2025 General Election have until Jun 16 to do so. Among those who have submitted their election expenses, average spending worked out to be S$25,285 per candidate. But individual candidates' expenses ranged widely – some did not spend a single cent, while one spent more than S$100,000. The 35 candidates who have submitted their returns include those from the PAP, PSP, National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), Red Dot United (RDU) and Singapore People's Party (SPP). Candidates – one from each party – from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), People's Power Party (PPP) and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) have submitted their election expenses, as have the two independent candidates – SMU law graduate Darryl Lo and retired businessman Jeremy Tan. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up So far, no WP candidate has submitted his or her returns. This means there are 176 candidates who either have not submitted their election expenses, or whose submissions have not yet been announced on the Government Gazette. From this initial batch of returns, the PAP topped the list of average amount spent per candidate at S$77,751, followed by the PSP at S$32,303, and the NSP at S$24,378. At the bottom of the list were RDU at S$1,297, and PAR at S$898. There were seven candidates who declared no election expenses – RDU's Sharad Kumar, David Foo and Pang Heng Chuan, the SDP's Alec Tok, the SDA's Harminder Pal Singh, and the SPP's Lim Rui Xian and Muhammad Norhakim. The PPP's Samuel Lee declared election spending of S$100, under the category of 'other expenses'. In a TikTok post on May 27, Lee said he had resigned from the PPP effective from May 23 to pursue new opportunities. Meanwhile, Tan, who contested Mountbatten, spent S$16,075, while Lo, who contested Radin Mas, spent S$12,213. More than half of Tan's spending was on his sole rally at the Home of Athletics on May 1, while the bulk of Lo's spending went to non-online election advertising, which covers things like pamphlets, posters, banners and flags. The top spender for now is the PAP's Goh Pei Ming at S$104,085. More than half of this was spent on non-online election advertising. The former Singapore Armed Forces chief of staff and his PAP Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC teammates were the only ones to win in a walkover on Nomination Day. In all, they spent a total of S$388,756 this election. The only other full team which has submitted its expenses is the NSP's team for Sembawang GRC, which spent S$121,888. Besides their expenses, candidates also have to declare how much they received from donors. Among the 35, only RDU's Ben Puah, who contested Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, has declared donations received. He received a total of S$280 from anonymous donors, who gave the money via six separate transactions on the PayNow digital payment platform that ranged from S$10 to S$100. He spent S$109 this election. Meanwhile, the RDU's Madam Kala Manickam has declared disputed claims of S$1,365, consisting of S$404 in food expenses for candidates and volunteers, S$66 in transport charges for volunteers, as well as S$895 for the cost of printing additional fliers during the campaigning period. According to the ELD's website, such claims occur when 'an election agent disputes any claim in respect of election expenses incurred by the candidate, and refuses or fails to pay the claim within the specified time period of 28 days'. The Straits Times has sent a query to the ELD. When contacted, Madam Kala said the disputed claims were for expenses that the RDU declined to reimburse. She added that her election agent had advised her to file it under disputed claims. 'The party told me to raise petty cash to claim back my money, but when I submitted it after the election, they said the spending was not endorsed by the party. They also said I didn't manage to bring in donations, so they did not reimburse me,' she said. She added that she would bear the costs herself since she had run for elections to serve the country. As with previous elections, candidates generally spent the most on non-online election advertising, which includes things like posters, banners and flags. The total spending in this category across the 35 candidates amounted to S$516,761, or more than half of all declared election expenses so far. Other big-ticket items included online election advertising expenses as well as election meeting expenses, which covers costs to hold rallies. People who wish to inspect candidates' election expenses can do so by logging into the ELD's digital service using their Singpass. THE STRAITS TIMES
AsiaOne
29-05-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
First tranche of GE2025 candidate expenses published, with highest spending being over $100,000 , Singapore News
A total of 35 candidates who contested the May 3 General Election have declared their election expenses so far, with their combined spending coming up to $884,978. On May 28, their election returns were made available on the Elections Department's (ELD) website. Election candidates here are required under the law to declare how much they spent and what the money was used for, to ensure accountability and transparency of campaign finances. Candidates from the 2025 General Election have until June 16 to do so. Among those who have submitted their election expenses, average spending worked out to be $25,285 per candidate. But individual candidates' expenses ranged widely – some did not spend a single cent, while one spent more than $100,000. The 35 candidates who have submitted their returns include those from the PAP, PSP, National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), Red Dot United (RDU) and Singapore People's Party (SPP). Candidates – one from each party – from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), People's Power Party (PPP) and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) have submitted their election expenses, as have the two independent candidates – SMU law graduate Darryl Lo and retired businessman Jeremy Tan. So far, no WP candidate has submitted his or her returns. This means there are 176 candidates who either have not submitted their election expenses, or whose submissions have not yet been announced on the Government Gazette. From this initial batch of returns, the PAP topped the list of average amount spent per candidate at $77,751, followed by the PSP at $32,303, and the NSP at $24,378. At the bottom of the list were RDU at $1,297, and PAR at $898. There were seven candidates who declared no election expenses – RDU's Mr Sharad Kumar, Mr David Foo and Mr Pang Heng Chuan, the SDP's Mr Alec Tok, the SDA's Mr Harminder Pal Singh, and the SPP's Mr Lim Rui Xian and Mr Muhammad Norhakim. The PPP's Mr Samuel Lee declared election spending of $100, under the category of 'other expenses'. In a TikTok post on May 27, Mr Lee said he had resigned from the PPP effective from May 23 to pursue new opportunities. Meanwhile, Mr Tan, who contested Mountbatten, spent $16,075, while Mr Lo, who contested Radin Mas, spent $12,213. More than half of Mr Tan's spending was on his sole rally at the Home of Athletics on May 1, while the bulk of Mr Lo's spending went to non-online election advertising, which covers things like pamphlets, posters, banners and flags. The top spender for now is the PAP's Mr Goh Pei Ming at $104,085. More than half of this was spent on non-online election advertising. The former Singapore Armed Forces chief of staff and his PAP Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC teammates were the only ones to win in a walkover on Nomination Day. In all, they spent a total of $388,756 this election. The only other full team which has submitted its expenses is the NSP's team for Sembawang GRC, which spent $121,888. Besides their expenses, candidates also have to declare how much they received from donors. Among the 35, only RDU's Mr Ben Puah, who contested Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, has declared donations received. He received a total of $280 from anonymous donors, who gave the money via six separate transactions on the PayNow digital payment platform that ranged from $10 to $100. He spent $109 this election. Meanwhile, the RDU's Madam Kala Manickam has declared disputed claims of $1,365, consisting of $404 in food expenses for candidates and volunteers, $66 in transport charges for volunteers, as well as $895 for the cost of printing additional fliers during the campaigning period. According to the ELD's website, such claims occur when 'an election agent disputes any claim in respect of election expenses incurred by the candidate, and refuses or fails to pay the claim within the specified time period of 28 days'. The Straits Times has sent a query to the ELD. When contacted, Madam Kala said the disputed claims were for expenses that the RDU declined to reimburse. She added that her election agent had advised her to file it under disputed claims. 'The party told me to raise petty cash to claim back my money, but when I submitted it after the election, they said the spending was not endorsed by the party. They also said I didn't manage to bring in donations, so they did not reimburse me,' she said. She added that she would bear the costs herself since she had run for elections to serve the country. As with previous elections, candidates generally spent the most on non-online election advertising, which includes things like posters, banners and flags. The total spending in this category across the 35 candidates amounted to $516,761, or more than half of all declared election expenses so far. Other big-ticket items included online election advertising expenses as well as election meeting expenses, which covers costs to hold rallies. People who wish to inspect candidates' election expenses can do so by logging into the ELD's digital service using their Singpass. This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
Straits Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Red Dot United to pay $900 removal fee for election posters found within 50m of polling stations
The Elections Department will consider waiving the fee if the posters prove to have been tampered with, as Red Dot United had earlier claimed. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO Red Dot United to pay $900 removal fee for election posters found within 50m of polling stations SINGAPORE - Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) will have to pay $900 to the Elections Department (ELD) for 18 election posters removed on Cooling-off Day. But ELD will consider waiving this fee if the posters prove to have been tampered with, as RDU had earlier claimed. On May 9, Ms Liyana Dhamirah, one of RDU's candidates for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, posted a video about how some of her party's posters in the constituency had been moved without their knowledge. She said the posters had been deliberately taken down and re-tied in places that would breach guidelines, so the party would be fined. Traditional election advertising material, like election posters, are not allowed within 50m of polling stations to avoid unduly influencing voters. RDU told The Straits Times on May 9 that Ms Liyana's post was 'a personal reflection of her own frustration', but added that tampering seemed likely from its preliminary checks. In her post, Ms Liyana said she spent most of Cooling-off Day taking down posters. 'When we put them up, we used black zip ties. But when I went to take them down? White zip ties held them in place. That's not a coincidence,' she added. In response to ST's queries, ELD said on May 26 that it has advised RDU to make a police report if it suspects sabotage or mischief. It is prepared to consider waiving the $50 removal fee for each poster, if police investigations find the claims to be true. RDU said it will consult its central executive committee before deciding if it will pursue the matter. ELD also said it had continued to get complaints about RDU's posters in prohibited areas between 9pm on Cooling-off Day and the early hours of Polling Day. Between Nomination Day and 9pm on Cooling-off Day, parties have three hours to remove any posters that break the rules. On Polling Day, they have one hour to do so. If such breaches are not rectified within the given time, Aetos Security Management (Aetos) will remove the materials. ELD added that the Returning Officer waived the removal fee for posters removed on Polling Day, due to heavy rain that morning. The weather would have hampered parties' ability to rectify all breaches within an hour, and posed safety concerns for those doing so, ELD said. But the fee was not waived for the 18 posters Aetos removed on Cooling-off Day, it added. ST understands that RDU's deadline for paying the $900 removal fee is May 27. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
The Star
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Singapore DPM Heng hopes to spend time with family, travel, ‘not do any work' in first year of retirement
SINGAPORE: Retiring Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat hopes to spend the next six to 12 months 'not doing any work', before he figures out his next steps. 'I have a very bad work habit, I work long hours. I don't have much time for myself,' he said. 'I hope to spend time travelling to all my favourite places, to read my favourite books and listen to my music, so that I can slow down. Then I'll decide what else might be meaningful for me to do.' The 64-year-old also hopes to spend time with his children and extended family, and continue exercising and taking care of his health. Plans for his post-politics life have been on the cards for at least a year. In May 2024, he told Prime Minister Lawrence Wong just after his swearing-in ceremony that he wanted to retire 'if the transition goes well for the rest of the year'. 'I had decided on that before that, but I didn't want to disturb him,' DPM Heng told The Straits Times on May 15. He does not intend to go back to public life, quipping: 'Only if I am absolutely needed. Do you have something in mind?' But he told ST that he may return to his areas of interest – the future of science, technology and innovation, and the future of Singapore's economy. Both are areas that he has covered in his work in government. DPM Heng had announced on Nomination Day, April 23, that he would be retiring from politics after 14 years in the Government, which accounted for nearly a third of his 45 years in public service. During his career, he was, among other things, a police officer, principal private secretary to then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. After being elected as an MP in 2011, he was made education minister immediately. He later helmed the Ministry of Finance, and also chaired the Future Economy Advisory Panel and Future Economy Council, which both look at boosting Singapore's economic growth. At the interview with ST held at The Treasury, DPM Heng said he also finds science fascinating, from his time as a student and also as chairman of the National Research Foundation since 2018. A Singapore Police Force overseas scholarship holder, he had hoped to study engineering in university but was asked by the Public Service Commission to do economics instead. 'I'm glad I've done all right... I had never expected myself to enter politics, to be a minister and to be a DPM. At every stage, I just made the best of it and certainly in the process, I have found fulfilment in all that I've done,' he said. 'I hope that I've made a little contribution to improve the lives of Singaporeans and to improve the chances of success of this little red dot.' In his retirement, health will be a priority. DPM Heng suffered a stroke in 2016 during a Cabinet meeting. Asked about his decision to step down as leader of the 4G in 2021 after having been selected in 2018, DPM Heng emphasised the demands of the job, his medical history and the long-term challenges the next prime minister would have to face. 'I decided it would be better for a younger person with a longer runway, better energy to carry through,' he said. In Singapore's parliamentary system, each minister has two jobs – making policies, but also engaging the community as an MP, he added. The job of prime minister would also involve a lot of travel, said DPM Heng. PM Wong has grown in stature and confidence, and built rapport with Singaporeans, he said. 'The recent election outcome is a testament to that. So I think I can now retire with a very clear conscience and with very strong confidence that Singapore is in very good hands,' DPM Heng added. While he will be relinquishing his Cabinet roles, he is currently still chairman of the PAP. DPM Heng said he has not had time to speak to PM Wong, who is the party's secretary-general, but will discuss the matter with him soon after the new Cabinet is sworn in. Asked why he has chosen to retire, DPM Heng said that during his 45 years of public service, he had spent very little time on his family and himself. He said some residents had asked him to retire after his stroke, but he chose to stay on as he felt grateful to be part of a system that had allowed a 'kampung boy' like him to study abroad and have a meaningful career. He was also grateful to the doctors and medical staff who saved his life. '(But) as you grow older, you begin to have all sorts of small issues,' he said. He attends regular health check-ups every six months and is reminded constantly to take care of his health. 'It makes you realise that life has its limits and you should make the best use of it while you can to spend time with your loved ones, to have some time to explore your interests.' - The Straits Times/ANN
